Medical Issues

In the United States, 10% of the entire population is uninsured, with limited access to needed medical assistance. Of these 30 million people, 25% are immigrants and nearly 50% are undocumented. Some states, including California, attempt to solve this problem by offering programs like Medi-Cal and Covered California. However, these state programs often function with low-premium, high-deductible coverage that makes hospital visits and medical treatment extremely expensive. Additionally, these insurance programs only offer a small range of treatments to children and young adults, while older undocumented adults may only receive coverage in times of emergencies.  

​

In 2023, 3.2 million Californians are completely uninsured, without Medicare, Medi-Cal, Covered California, or any other form of insurance. Although only 27% of the California population is made up of immigrants, 48% of those uninsured are immigrants. Roughly 1.27 million people do not qualify for any program due to their immigrant status, while the remaining 1.93 million people are eligible for state coverage, but cultural, socioeconomic, or geographical barriers stop them from getting insurance. 

​

Despite the majority of people being extremely healthy when immigrating to the United States, this fact quickly changes. Immigrants in California have less healthcare coverage than any other group and have the highest risk for injuries and illness in the workplace, being 15% to 25% more likely to be fatally injured at work. Consistently this community is put in harm's way at a much higher rate since they are more likely to be exposed to the harmful effects of the sun, pesticides, and the perils of certain jobs. 

 

Overall, uninsured Americans are at a 40% larger risk of death than those with insurance. For comparison, Americans in the top 1% of earners are expected to live 14.6 years longer than those in the bottom 1%. Celestria Health plans to change that by providing greater access to medical professionals to address preventative care disparities and give greater treatment information at little to no cost.